


It'd be nice

by Jenniwrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Christmas Party, Drinking, M/M, Mistletoe, kiss, mistletoekiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 01:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13136055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenniwrites/pseuds/Jenniwrites
Summary: The Paladins are throwing a holiday party, and Lance feels unexpectedly sullen. After a heart to heart chat, Keith would do anything to make him feel better and well, he does.





	It'd be nice

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jenni_sherwoods_pics/25407259148/in/dateposted-public/)

Lance tapped his foot against the rung of the bar stool he sat upon to a rhythm twice as fast as the festive music around him. The expression on his face was as tightly knit as the Christmas sweater he wore. He fiddled with the plastic mistletoe he’d pulled down in a moment of temper a few minutes before.

Wanting the paladins to feel at home, Coran and Allura had thought it would be a good idea to throw a Holiday party, where the paladins and the Alteans could share a little bit about their respective cultures with each other and the friends they had made in space.

Lance had been overflowing with enthusiasm for the idea. He’d been instrumental in all the human details of the party: He’d decorated the banquet hall with multi-coloured lights and a tree they found on a nearby planet. He’d had Christmas sweaters made, helped Hunk make food, Coran stock the bar and Pidge create an ultimate Christmas playlist.

This was his party.

Why was he feeling so glum?

Keith leaned against the wall conveniently near the snacks. A splotchy glow spread across his cheeks and his heart pounded in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was from one too many drinks or the warm feelings he had developed for Lance against his will over the past few months.

He had his eye on Lance most of the night and had noticed Lance flip from confident and beaming to sullen and down.  

Keith downed a shot of something unrecognizable, offered to him in passing by one of Matt's colleagues, and contemplated comforting his friend. He resolved that he would try, though he had no idea how. Comforting a team member was Lance’s thing not his, but someone had to comfort the comforter and it looked like it was going to be him.

He took a long deep breath and made his way over and pulled up the stool beside Lance.

Coran, who was playing bartender, handed Keith an Altean ale and gave him a wink before moving on to entertain guests at the other end of the bar.

“Hey,” Keith grunted while staring down his reflection in the surprisingly dark drink.

“Hey,” Lance replied, the syllable drawn out with melancholy.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Keith broke it.

“So that’s where the mistletoe went,” he said, nodding at the crumbled mistletoe in Lance’s hands.

Lance sheepishly sat the mistletoe on the bar counter.

“I’m grateful it’s down, actually.” Keith declared, “If I had to watch Allura and Shiro drag each other under it one more time I was going to gag.”

“Gross, eh?” Lance affirmed as his stomach twinged with jealousy

“Shay and Hunk and the other couples aren’t much better,” Keith added, trying to make light of the situation.

“I don’t know now. I’m happy for them,” Lance sighed.

“You don’t seem happy.”

Lance stood up straight in his seat and growled, “What do you want me to say? I am super jealous that Allura has chosen Shiro to shower with affection instead of me?”

Keith flinched.

“Is…is that the problem?”

Lance softened. Keith was trying to help he reasoned in his Keith way, and didn’t deserve his anger, so he chose to answer honestly.

“I guess? I don’t know. I can’t really blame her. I’d probably choose Shiro too.”

Keith looked down at his drink and waited for Lance to continue.

“I don’t know if I am jealous, really.  I mean I am, but part of me has always known she wasn’t interested in me, you know? I don’t know what I’m feeling really. I am jealous they have each other, I guess.”

“That makes sense,” Keith replied, “I’m a bit jealous too.”

“You like Allura too? I knew it.”

“What? No. Not exactly,” Keith shook his head in a tight little no. “I just imagine it’s nice, you know, to have somebody.”

Keith watched Lance take a gulp of his drink and he took one of his too. His lips curled, and he smacked his tongue at the bitterness of the ale.

Lance smiled. Keith could be cute and sweet when he wanted to be, and he appreciated Keith listening with minimal judgement. He was glad he was there.

“Do you think it is naïve of us to think we might find love?” Lance asked.

“Why naïve?” Keith asked in earnest.

“In many ways, Shiro and Allura are lucky. They are on the same team so not only do they get to be together, they get each other on a level I am not sure someone outside the group could understand. When and how are we supposed to find someone who truly gets what we’ve been through and what our responsibilities are?”

“Perhaps when our mission is done?” Keith shrugged.

“Will our mission ever really be done?”

 “I don’t know.” Keith swallowed and took another drink.

“Anyway, I’m not ready to settle down anytime soon or anything anyways,” Lance raised his shoulders in false bravado to brush off the seriousness of the conversation. “But I am not gonna lie, it would be nice to have some hot alien kiss me under the mistletoe.”

Keith got an idea. A terrible idea. Had he had too much to drink? He hadn’t really but had he drank enough to pretend he did if what he was about to suggest blew up in his face? He wondered.

“Hold the mistletoe above your head,” he directed.

“What? Why?” Lance quickly swivelled on his stool and turned to face Keith.

“I’m going to give you a Christmas gift.”

“What?” Lance chuckled

“You said you wanted a mistletoe kiss. I’m not some hot alien chick, but I am part alien and very warm in this sweater.”

“You are going to kiss me?” Lance asked, amusement sparkling in his eyes for the first time since before he tore the mistletoe down.

“Close your eyes and hold that mistletoe above your head before I change my mind.” Keith directed as he placed his hands on Lance’s knees.

“Alright.” Lance grabbed the mistletoe and closed his eyes one at a time, but immediately reopened them, “Wait, you aren’t going to make me kiss a mouse again are you? I have kissed more than enough mice for one lifetime.”

“Shut up and trust me,” Keith laughed as he leaned in.

Lance closed his eyes as Keith’s face neared his own and for reasons he could not explain he let Keith kiss him.

And kiss him Keith did.

Lance wasn’t sure what he was expecting. A quick peck or something drunk and slobbery, maybe.

What he wasn’t expecting was for Keith to kiss him long enough and with just the right amount of pressure upon his lips to spread this odd wave, that was both warm and cold at the same time, throughout his body that it made his heart pick up speed and his toes curl.

Lance was unsure how many milliseconds or minutes had passed but he let Keith’s lips linger.

When Keith began to pull away, Lance forgot who he was kissing and why, and let his mouth follow. Keith pushed back leaving one smaller kiss like an echo upon Lance’s lips before pulling back for good. He lightly brushed his nose against Lance’s and gasped, causing the wave to ripple through Lance again.

Lance did not open his eyes right away. He needed to take a moment to process what just happened. Why did he let Keith of all people kiss him? Let alone like that?

When Lance finally opened his eyes, he saw Keith swivel in his seat, so he was facing the bar again. He looked redder than he did before.

Then Lance really looked at him. He looked at him like he did the first time he saw him in his class at the Garrison. He forgot how beautiful he thought he was and he wondered if he could love him. If maybe he always had?

Lance shook his head. He wasn’t going to let himself get all mushy over one slightly drunken kiss.

Butterflies fluttered in his stomach to spite him and he tried to drown them with his drink.

Quiznak. Maybe he was.

Keith wasn’t saying anything. In fact, he looked like he was about to fall asleep.

Truth be told, he had his eyes shut tight as he silently berated himself for being an impulsive idiot.

 “You kissed me.” Lance said to break the silence.

“Merry Christmas,” Keith replied as he let out a deep breath of relief. Lance’s silence was killing him.

“Yeah, but you  _kissed_  me, kissed me.”

“What do you mean, I  _kissed_  you, kissed you?” Keith was unsure why Lance was choosing to be redundant.

“You kissed me like you meant it.”

Oh, that.

“You wanted a mistletoe kiss. I gave you a mistletoe kiss,” Keith’s voice cracked. “It, it, didn’t mean anything,” he lied.  

“Okay, Samurai. Sure, it didn’t mean anything.” Lance grabbed a peanut-like nut from the bowl on the counter and cracked it.

Lance’s foot began to jiggle again. In an attempt to stop himself, he let his leg fall open instead. His knee came to rest against Keith’s. He didn’t move it.

Keith’s breath hitched.

Lance was amused.

“It didn’t. Don’t worry, I won’t kiss you again.” Keith lied again.

“That’s a shame,” Lance teased.

“What?”

“I liked it. I was hoping to request another kiss on New Years.”  

Keith smiled.

It looked like the party was looking up for them both after all.


End file.
